The first application of fullerene polymer-like materials, C ₆₀Pd_n, as gas adsorbents

C₆₀Pd_n polymer-like materials were prepared and reacted with toluene, one of the harmful gases. Toluene was successfully adsorbed on C₆₀Pd_n at ambient temperature without additional energy sources. This adsorptivity was retained even at low concentration (1000 ppb), which is close to the actual toluene concentration in the environment. The strong adsorption of toluene molecules toward C ₆₀Pd_n was confirmed by IR, TG-IR, and cyclic voltammetric analyses. The π-electrons of toluene are believed to adsorb on partially positive Pd atoms of C₆₀Pd_n, and theoretical studies have suggested that π-electrons of C₆₀ and toluene overlap through the d-electron orbitals of the Pd atom, not just physical adsorption. This result should open the route to fullerene materials as adsorbents for harmful gases.